This research has been commissioned by the International Labour Office (ILO) as a contribution to the Global Product 154 and the Area of Critical Importance, Productivity and working conditions in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

The aim of the present Guide is to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of placing the promotion of full, productive and freely chosen employment at the heart of socio-economic and development policies through a rights-based approach and a broad basis of agreement achieved through social dialogue, in line with the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122).

Ecuador’s population is young and rapidly growing. It has almost doubled since 1980, reaching almost 15 million in 2010. An approximate 60 per cent of Ecuadorians are under 29 years old and almost one out of three is between the ages of 15 and 29. More than half of the young people aged 15-29 are poor: around 30 per cent live in conditions of poverty and another 24 per cent in extreme poverty.

Turkey is undergoing a demographic transition. Its population comprises 74 million people and is expected to keep growing until 2050 and begin ageing in 2025. The share of children and youth under 25 years old reaches 45 per cent, and the 15-29 age group represents around 25 per cent of the total population – about 18 million people.

With 1.35 billion people, China has the largest population in the world and a total working age population of 937 million. For historical and political reasons, full employment has been consistently high on the Government agenda.

Young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) aged 15 to 24 represent 16 per cent of the 3.8 million population of the country. In Bosnia and Herzegovina the overall unemployment rate in 2012 reached 28 per cent, while the youth unemployment rate (15-24 years of age) more than double the overall unemployment, at 63.1 per cent.